What Does Eish Even Mean?

What is eish?

If Mean Girls decided to stick with the “Africa” theme….Eish is way better than fetch!

(definition will probably be updated throughout service, but here is a gist)

Eish (pronounced Eye-Sh or Eh-eesh) is an colloquial exclamation in South African slang (derived from Xhosa originally) with uses as diverse as the Rainbow Nation itself. It can indicate surprise, awe, shock, exasperation, excitement, or resignation (it is out of my control but I am going to make the most of this situation).

South African slang is found all over the lower half of the African continent, but I first heard of Eish through my Batswana acquaintances. After my semester abroad I retained the term (mainly in the resignation context), making my coworkers and classmates very confused! The blog title may change as I gain more experiences in South Africa, but for now it seems like a good start.

After all wonder, shock, and resignation to the will of your host community sounds like an authentic Peace Corps experience!